Reintegration builds confidence in Afghanistan
 By Lisa Daniel , American Forces Press Service
  
 WASHINGTON (September 16, 2011) — The program coalition forces helped to create  in Afghanistan last year to turn young men away from the insurgency and  reintegrate them back to their communities is going a long way in building trust  and confidence there, a military official said today.Afghan and  coalition leaders faced “huge challenges” when the reintegration program began  last fall, Maj. Gen. Phil Jones of the British army told reporters during a NATO  news conference. Jones is the director of the International Security Assistance  Force’s Force Reintegration Cell in Kabul.“They have overcome incredible  skepticism and doubt that a social peace program could emerge in the middle of  this conflict,” Jones said in a video link to NATO headquarters in Brussels from  the Afghan capital of Kabul.Afghan leaders’ vision of the program is “to  build trust and confidence among people who have been fighting each other and  their government for many years,” Jones said, noting that Afghans have endured  war and conflict for more than 30 years.Through the outreach of  Afghanistan’s social, political and religious leaders, Jones said, “peace is  built village by village, if necessary.”As security improves and areas  stabilize, “fighters are brought home to reintegrate into the community,” he  said. “This means that fighters return to peace as consequence of peace  building, not as result of material or financial [need].”The general  urged coalition forces to be patient with the Afghan pace of  change.“It’s incredibly important to understand and respect the  necessity of the courageous, patient, confidence-building conflict-resolution  work” being done across the country, he said.“Coming to peace after a  lifetime of fighting is a tough process, and we have to recognize that,” the  general said. “The Afghans see peace building as a very, very long-term program.  It’s about starting a wider social movement of peace that increasingly binds the  Afghan people.”Reintegration is based on grievance resolution and Afghan  notions of forgiveness, Jones said.Under the program, fighters “can step  out of the fight – this is not surrender,” Jones said. “They can rejoin society  with their honor and dignity intact and, where possible, we will work with their  community on security,” he added.A year ago, a thousand former fighters  were enrolled in the reintegration program, which was planned for eight  provinces, Jones said. Today, reintegration is happening in 34 provinces and  officially includes 2,436 men “who are no longer shooting at ISAF Soldiers, and  no longer laying [roadside bombs] that kill innocent women and children,” he  said.Jones said he believes many more former fighters are “simply going  home and silently reintegrating into their communities.”It is impossible  to know the number of insurgent fighters, which changes season to season, the  general said, but ISAF officials believe it’s in the realm of  25,000.“Building peace out of war is a tough human process,” he said.  “After 30 years of conflict, people will be cautious and wary, [and] skepticism  and doubt remains widespread. It requires huge energy to overcome the nature of  war, and great persistence to build confidence and trust and momentum.”